14th September 2021

Three things you can do if you’re trying to get a refund for The Weekender

Consumer Tips
Money

It was awful to read that the organisers of this popular annual music event felt they had little choice but to reschedule for a second time, until 3-4 September 2022.

Having corresponded with the organisers, it is clear that the amount of work, management and safety considerations, that go into an event for 10,000 people are immense, as well as huge upfront payments for booked artists, and we are sympathetic to their situation.

As stated in the T&Cs, refunds are not applicable if the event is rescheduled (not cancelled outright), and we believe that the majority of ticketholders will keep their tickets for next year.

That said, there will be ticketholders who wish or need a refund, and we feel that considering the extraordinary situation (a second rescheduling), there should be some flexibility to the T&Cs and refund requests should be accepted.

Terms and Conditions

As shown below, clause 3 of the T&Cs states that if you are unable to attend the rescheduled date you may be offered a refund, “Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled event. You must notify the organisers within the specified deadline if you are unable to attend the new date. A refund period may also be offered at the organiser’s sole discretion.”

Full T&Cs can be found by clicking the 'Need help?' option on the Weekender site.

Regrettably, we have not been able to locate the ‘specified date’ on either The Weekender or the ticket seller’s (CM.com) sites. On several occasions over the past 3 weeks, we have asked the organisers to confirm the deadline date. Unfortunately, we are yet to receive a reply and are aware that some ticketholders are having the same problem.

Options

Having discussed with other consumer organisations, it seems that ticketholders wishing a refund are left with the below options:

  1. Contact your debit or credit card provider requesting a ‘charge back’ for any transaction under £100.
  2. Contact your credit card provider requesting a refund as per your Section 75 rights of the Consumer Credit Act.
  3. Take it to the Petty Debts Court.

Here’s a link that may help. Please let us know how you get on.